Obviously, Bond got his request. The nickname “Silver
Beast” first appears in this second book. Gardner’s recollection was
that it was his son Simon who gave the car its now famous moniker. In
his "Author's Acknowledgments," Gardner thanks Saab (GB), Ltd., and
Saab-Scania of Sweden "for the amount of time, trouble, patience, and
enthusiasm they have put into proving that the James Bond Saab really
does exist."
For Special Services features
what is arguably the best Saab action scene in any of the Gardner books,
when Bond races a Shelby-American Mustang GT 350 driven by henchman
Walter Luxor. Bond kicked on the accelerator, sensing the Saab’s spoiler
push the rear down onto the road. His own body was forced back into the
driving seat as full power took hold. Of course, no henchman plays fair,
and we get to see some defensive mechanisms on the Saab that we didn’t
see in Licence
Renewed—such
as an automatic fire extinguisher system, which Bond uses when the race
becomes a little overheated.
For this mission, the Saab’s secret dashboard
compartments are also modified to include a compartment that holds rare
prints (as Bond is undercover as a rare print dealer in this book). A
favorite feature—the blinding aircraft landing light hidden behind the
front license plate—also gets nice play in this book.
Once again, the Saab takes a beating aiding Bond’s escape
from the villain’s Texas ranch estate (this time, launching aboard a
moving monorail); and once again, the book made the best-sellers list.
The new series was working. There was even reports that a Saab would
appear in Octopussy,
the next James Bond film (ultimately, this proved to be false). James
Bond and his Silver Beast would return the following year in a book
generally considered to be Gardner’s best. But it would be their last
ride together. A “million-dollar prostitute” would soon come between a
man and his Beast.
Breaking the Ice
“You have a car here, I believe. A Saab 900 Turbo.
Silver. Delivered in the name of Bond, James Bond.”
– Icebreaker (1983)
Published in 1983, Icebreaker sees
007 sent to the Arctic Circle to do battle with a Neo-Nazi army. Once
again, the Saab sees action, this time facing off on the icy roads of
Lapland with three menacing snow-plows. “There was no doubt. They were
going in for the kill, prepared to slice the Silver Beast in half.
Silver versus yellow, Bond thought, and raised his right arm, the left
hand still clutching the stun grenade…”
Icebreaker is a fan favorite and remained Gardner’s
personal favorite Bond novel for many years, mainly because of his own
experiences in the Arctic Circle, a trip hosted by Saab-Scania. Gardner
shared his Arctic adventures with the James Bond International Fan Club
magazine, OO7.
“As I had already managed to skid a Saab into snow drifts
on three occasions, I had a very good driver who promptly managed to do
the same -- but right on the Russian border. Happily, the Finnish army
was on hand, and an officer walked the best part of two miles through
icy conditions to bring help. We were finally towed out and all ended
well.”
The author’s photo on the back of the U.S. edition shows
Gardner on a snowmobile (right) and is credited to Saab-Scania, Sweden.
Gardner offered additional thanks by including one of his Arctic
traveling companions, international rally racing star Erik Carlsson (aka
"Mr. Saab"), in a passage in the book. When Bond is preparing for his
own journey deep into the “land of the rising sun,” he finds a note in
his glove compartment: “Good luck, Whatever You're Doing... Remember
what I've taught you about the left foot!!! -Erik.
Saab once again helped promote the paperback release of
the book with a “WIN BOND’S SILVER SAAB TURBO!” contest arranged in
conjunction with Berkley Publishing. Large standees (called “dumps”)
containing the paperback edition of the book had tear-off coupons
attached, which customers could fill out and send into the “Icebreaker/Saab
Consumer Drawing.” The prize was, indeed, a silver Saab Turbo, “the
driving machine of a lifetime for some lucky Bond fan.” The winner was
announced on May 31, 1984.
Never Say Never
Bond left the room and hurried downstairs to
reception to ask what self-drive hire cars were available quickly.
For once, Bond seemed to making his own luck. There was a Saab 900
Turbo—a car which he was well used to—which only just had been
returned.
– Nobody Lives Forever (1986)
Gardner may have put 007 together with a “million-dollar
prostitute,” but he still liked to revisit his $300 call girl (sorry, he
started it). Saabs continued to make cameo appearances in many of
Gardner’s later Bond books. In 1986’s Nobody
Lives Forever,
Bond rents a Saab 900 in order to make an undercover side trip to the
Klinik Mozart just outside of Salzburg. Bond again rents a Saab for a
dangerous mission in Dublin in 1987’s abysmally titled No
Deals, Mr. Bond.
M drives a Saab 9000 CD in 1991’s The
Man From Barbarossa (the
book which replaced Icebreakeras
Gardner’s personal favorite). One gets a feeling that Gardner missed the
old Silver Beast as much as the fans did.
Then as the Gardner era ran down, James Bond and Saab
were reunited. In Never
Send Flowers(1993)
and SeaFire (1994),
Bond suddenly drives a Saab 9000 CD Turbo. This choice may have been
influenced by the fact that Gardner, who was now living in the America,
drove a white Saab 9000 CD himself.
The Saab 9000 CD is a mysterious presence at the end of
the Gardner era. Gardner never explains what happened to the Bentley
(actually the second Bentley as Bond trades up to a Turbo R at some
point), nor whether this Saab is Bond’s personal property or part of the
MI6 motor pool. Is it supposed to be the same car we saw M driving in Barbarossa?
The Saab 9000 is a conservative four-door sedan, Saab's entry into the
luxury car market. It’s no Beast. Still, it’s a Saab, and it seemed a
fitting way to send Gardner's Bond out.
Gardner retired from the Bond series in 1996. Raymond
Benson took over and put Bond in a sleek new Jaguar XK8. Saab was
purchased by American car giant GM who, over the years, have gentrified
the cars and, incredibly, rolled back many of Saab’s unique innovations.
Under GM, Saabs have ceased to be the hot car of the ‘80s and early
‘90s, and now some younger Bond fans question the wisdom of James Bond
ever driving a car they see as one their mothers might buy.
Ah, but there was a time when James Bond and his “Silver
Beast” raced along the backroads of Surrey—clinging
to the grass shoulder, putting a fraction more power to bring the car
out of the bend—and
the two together seemed to embody all that was cool, sophisticated, and
European in the 1980s. For a time the original promotional tour Saab
900, still outfitted with its deadly arsenal, was displayed in a museum
in Trollhattan, Sweden, on its hood is one of the bold colorful posters
from 1981—proof that at one time a Saab 900 Turbo was the car of choice
for that great connoisseur of motor vehicles (and other earthly
delights)—Bond, James Bond.
It was a great ride. |
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